A Smart ForTwo has defeated a field of 39 supercars to win Cannonball Run Europe. The rally, which distinguishes itself from events like the Gumball 3000 with its relatively cheap entry fee of $10,000 and emphasis on a sensible average speed (in this case 61 MPH) offered the perfect opportunity for a small, fuel efficient car to win. Driver David Ward said,

The 2008 Smart Fortwo is burdened with preconceived notions like no car before it. It's not…
Read more Read more

"The downfall of the bigger cars was that they were forced to stop so often, so while they kept overtaking us, we eventually went past them at the next petrol station when they needed to fill up again...we kept at a decent speed and still averaged around 35 miles per gallon."

The five-year-old Brabus edition Smart was equipped with only a performance chip and basic suspension upgrades. David and co-driver Adrian Hull didn't even take a GPS navigator, preferring instead a traditional map that covered the route through England, France, Portugal and Spain. Despite the rally's emphasis on maintaining average, sensible speeds instead of outright racing, the pair must have hooned the car, reporting an average 29mpg (US) fuel economy, down from an official combined figure of 44mpg.

David and Adrian now plan to enter next year's LA to Miami Gumball 3000 Rally, in which they'll encounter even richer, even dumber idiots. Lets hope the Cannonball prepared them for it. [source: Smart]